Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

$299
  • 10 MP
  • 3.8x f/2.0
  • 1/1.6" CCD
  • 3" LCD
Released July, 2010
Another addition is a dedicated button on the top panel to begin video recording.
Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (May, 2011)

Conclusion Check out the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

74%
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38%
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52%
68%
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First reviewed December, 2011

Features Key features of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Back view of Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

10 MP

1/1.6"

The normal bugbear of exterior location shoots is also dealt with thanks to a wind cut option among the four screen's worth of menu settings in motion picture mode.
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Sep, 2010)

megapixels

0 MP
20 MP

10 MP
20 MP
20 MP
File size 4.4MB The level of detail is outstanding, even though the 90mm-equivalent focal length doesn't zoom in quite as far as most other compacts.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by TrustedReviews (May, 2011)
If you are a novice wanting top of the line equipment, don't be sucked in by higher megapixels of other digitals.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by T.-Allen (Dec, 2011)

sensor size

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
Fujifilm FinePix X100
Samsung NX1000
Pictures are awesome and almost up there with quality with micro four thirds.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by Jaganath (Dec, 2011)
I have a Nikon D700, which is a full frame digital SLR, so I can't expect too much on this little DC.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by Matt-Yu (Dec, 2011)

wide angle lens

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
Fujifilm FinePix X100
Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100
The LX-5 is between the S and G in size, but it is a very different camera.24mm wide angle....longer zoom range than the S series.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by James-P.-Garin (Feb, 2011)
Wide-angle is fantastic - After using Tamron 28-75 for so many years, I have found a whole new dimension in wide-angle photo-framing using LX5.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by Kebs (Jun, 2011)

aperture size

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
Canon PowerShot G12
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
Rather than posting more images showing how sharp the lens is (and it is a beautiful, fast lens), I'm intentionally uploading photos taken in low light-ISO up to 1600, handheld as slow as 1/4 second-with wedding photography, it's not just about razor sharpness (at least it wasn't with this couple-they loved the pictures).
Lumix DMC-LX5 by John-Cosenza
The good: Fantastic photo quality and a lot of control over the exposure - you can control by aperture, shutter speed, increase or decrease the exposure,etc..
Lumix DMC-LX5 by Traveler14649 (Dec, 2011)

zoom range

0x
5x

1x
3.8x
5x
I love the 24mm f/2.8 Leica lens, the image stabilization, the RAW capability, the full manual control, and the multiple-screen formats.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by S.-Duford (Jan, 2011)
As a Canon user, I immediately found the LX5 controls to be fully intuitive, although I must admit I'm still learning ALL of the menu controls as I crave manual control and creative flexibility!
Lumix DMC-LX5 by David-J.-Peebler--DJPeebz (Nov, 2010)

body size

110 x 66 x 43 mm
127 x 75 x 54 mm
99 x 60 x 28 mm
These pro-compact cameras have the best overall design that offers the widest range of application, versatility, and user-friendliness.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by J.-Wang (Oct, 2010)
It's too thick to fit into a pocket, but with the neck strap, it's still very easy to carry around.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by L.-Debiasi (Dec, 2011)
 

Performance Real world tests of Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

shutter lag

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
Canon PowerShot S95
Fujifilm FinePix X100
The response time is excellent.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by Steve-N (Apr, 2011)
There's minimal shutter lag; the LX-5 shoots fast.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by rd-in-sf (Sep, 2010)

battery life

400 photos
200 photos
200 photos
It's much much faster (what's the point of having a camera if you miss the shot because the camera doesn't react in time), the low light ability is far superior, the macro is wonderful, it can zoom while recording video, and the battery life is excellent.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by Soured-Customer--Soured-Customer (Dec, 2010)
My bottom line advice is your personal priorities will determine which camera fits you best but please still consider the whole package: size, weight, ergonomics, menu system, AF lag times, RAW write times, battery life, possible accessories, etc..
Lumix DMC-LX5 by I.-Pribadi (Oct, 2010)

max continuous shooting

On the LX-5, I can only shoot 3 shots on a burst and then I have to wait until it finishes before I shoot again.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by rd-in-sf (Sep, 2010)
Put the LX-5 on burst mode and you have a stealth shooter!
Lumix DMC-LX5 by rd-in-sf (Sep, 2010)

DxOMark low light performance

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
Fujifilm FinePix X100
Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100
Applying a small amount of Noise Reduction in Lightroom brings the quality of low light pictures up quite easily.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by Defiant10k (Jun, 2011)
Pictures are crisp, it takes good photos in low light and has plenty of manual settings.
Lumix DMC-LX5 by Cam (Apr, 2012)
 

Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors

pros

  • HD video
  • Generic
  • 24 mm
  • 89.43%
  • 400
  • 10 mm
  • 1/4000 s

cons

  • 41.0
  • 1/1.6"
  • HD video
  • 460 k dots
  • Jul, 2010
  • 7.2 s
  • 19.6 bits
  • 10.8 ev
  • 2,300 ms
  • 10 MP
  • The screen is fixed in place
  • No automatic HDR
  • 132 ISO
  • No automatic stitching
  • Won't have that film look

Reviews Word on the street

Rated 90%
Read the review (Sep, 2010)
Fast forward two years to 2010, and it's the turn of the new LX5 to appeal to the more experienced prosumer, with a longer 3.8x lens, improved 10 megapixel sensor, AVCHD movies and a tweaked control system all on offer.
Rated 90%
Read the review (May, 2011)
The LX5 has a new lens with 3.8x zoom, equivalent to 24-90mm, but this hasn't meant sacrificing the fast maximum aperture, which is now.
Rated 88% by 378 users at amazon.com
The reasons to buy this camera are the wide lens ,the ease of use, the quality of the photos AND video ,and the many choices it gives you from Raw ,fully manual to fully auto shooting plus incredible macro.
Rated 100% by by Charles-J.-Hampton-snow (Dec, 2010)
The F2.0 Leica lens is outstanding for resolution and color clarity - I've done enlargements to poster size and still haven't reached the limits of the lens/camera combo.
Rated 100% by by D.-Eilenberger (Jan, 2011)
The RAW files that come out of this camera are amazing at low ISO and are very close to entry level dSLR cameras.
Rated 100% by by Brian (Feb, 2012)

Lens

4/3. I didn't because zoom lenses are still big, even the Olympus collapsible kit zoom, and I definitely wanted a zoom lens.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by Anthony-Ruggeri--hard-to-pin-down (Nov, 2010)
What's odd is that Panasonic offers a wide angle conversion lens to an already excellent wide angle capability but does not offer a conversion zoom lens which the camera would benefit more from.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 80% by by Joe (Oct, 2011)
f/3.3!. - Wide-angle - 24mm (35mm equivalent) is awesome, the Canon S90 only goes to 28mm and most P. &S no wider than 35mm.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by Photo-guy (Sep, 2010)

Image quality

The main thing to love about the camera is the image quality for the fairly small size.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 80% by by Scott-Fisher (Dec, 2011)
Colors are beautiful and there are so many modes for colors(If I can call them so)...Propably that is a reason why some people are not 100% satisfied with the pic quality...An example if you choose VIVD mode for indoor pictures...Most pictures will come out dark so you will not like them...And the camera will remember the color mode and it's easily to foreget to adjust it at the beginning...Keep that in mind.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 80% by by Shaer (Sep, 2010)
The images are clear, crisp, and the color quality is outstanding.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by Nicole-Yates (Mar, 2011)

Sensor

How did we find the RAW functionality: great for this very protable camera this size and the output was pretty awesome.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by Sincerely-Yours
The noise is acceptable when using ISO 100 and 80, but in ISO 200 and above noise is very obvious even viewed in PC screen, shrink to fit view.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 80% by by danei (Dec, 2011)
I must admit I'm picky on quality of the image, high ISO capability, and having some control over camera setting.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by Carl-Deutsch (Sep, 2010)

Video

I had trouble adjusting to the video/movie aspect although I loved the ability to zoom while doing a video.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by Susan-Zeman-West--book-lover (Oct, 2010)
The MPEG2 videos look just as sharp and vibrant as the AVCHD videos they originated from.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by ijcast
It also shoots surprisingly good HD video!
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by S.-Duford (Jan, 2011)

Photography

This is just the perfect camera for the person who is looking for quality in his/her prints.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by Richard-DeMuth (Nov, 2010)
The creative movie mode is where technologies converge and the LX5 becomes an intriguing prospect for would-be videographers, providing access as it does to the same creative exposure P,A,S,M modes selectable when shooting stills.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Sep, 2010)
I'm mainly shooting landscapes and static subjects, so the range is perfect.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Rated 100% by by Anthony-Ruggeri--hard-to-pin-down (Nov, 2010)

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